Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) had already invited Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) for a “cordial” meeting in a letter dated April 20. In it, he estimated the states’ additional need for local rail services until 2031 at €14 billion. Without this extra funding, the states would have to “cancel” train services – meaning cut regional trains and S-Bahn lines, Bernreiter said.
So far, the states have not received confirmation of a meeting with Klingbeil. His ministry refers to the Federal Transport Ministry, which has requested “further explanations and documents,” as ZDFheute learned from ministry circles. The states’ demand must first be “reviewed” before a meeting takes place.
According to the rail industry, the scenario of massive cuts is indeed looming. For millions of passengers, this would be a nightmare, as the German rail network is already overloaded in many places. The states are pushing for a quick solution to secure the status quo.
Source: www.zdfheute.de
